DPP cross-strait policies unpopular: survey

TAIPEI, Taiwan -- The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) released a recent cross-strait survey in its China Affairs Committee (CAC) meeting yesterday that sparked debate, with many criticizing the party for trying to "boycott" all China-related issues.

The survey pointed out that the DPP had lost to the ruling Kuomintang (KMT) in all respects in the survey, including its performance on the economy, communications and policies China-wise. The survey concluded that the DPP failed to outperform the KMT in cross-strait relations issues in general.

Among the opinions expressed through the survey, people were reportedly most worried by the DPP's inclination to oppose all policies related to mainland China, and the fact that it was "conservative about economic policies concerning China." The accusations were allegedly provoked by how the DPP boycotted the cross-strait service trade pact from being passed efficiently, as the party had tried to postpone the legislative review and the ultimate voting procedure. Both ruling and opposing party legislators were engaged in physical altercations and verbal disagreements on Tuesday, when the Legislature held its first deliberation of the pact.

DPP legislators had "camped" outside the meeting chamber on Monday night, in order to prevent their KMT counterparts from taking possession of the podium early next morning. A scuffle followed after the meeting was brought to order; KMT lawmakers accused the DPP of trying to stop the pact from being passed.

The voters also questioned the KMT's "submission to China" and how it has grown to become overly dependent on China on economic issues.

KMT Outstrips DPP in Majority of Survey Votes

According to the survey, approximately 44 percent of people supported the KMT's cross-strait economic policies, with only 25 percent supportive of those proposed by the DPP, which was notably lower than those who had no opinion (29 percent).

The DPP had only managed to score higher than the ruling party on its policies regarding interaction with the Chinese society. The voters said that they felt safer when the KMT was handling cross-strait relations and said the same of the KMT's cross-strait policies.

Additionally, 41 percent of people felt that the KMT's stance on cross-strait relations was similar with their own while only 35 percent took the DPP's side.

Also on the survey was what people felt would ultimately shape their choice for the 2016 presidential elections. The results showed that "the capability to deal with Taiwan's economic problems" topped the list, which included ideal characteristics of the candidates, the capability to handle Taiwan's political problems and cross-strait policies.